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But there are newz on tv that Afridi and Hafeez might not play. They even say there is a rift between Misbah and Hafeez. Seems like masala no?

No, media reports say that Hafeez has joined hands with Whatmore and wants Misbah out of the team. He also pressurizes Misbah whenever he wins a T20I match and Misbah loses an ODI. He, in press conferences backs Whatmore and wants to save his job. He also stresses that he allows players to express themselves and play their natural game, which is the key to success. He hints at Misbah and hits out on him, saying some captains don't allow players to play freely and force them. I'm sure Hafeez will play as he has the backing of Whatmore and there is no point dropping Afridi after his performance in the practice game, but you never know.

Why does Shafiq get dropped? He performed better than Hafeez, Misbah, Jamshed in the Test matches. Is he hurt? I see no reason why Shafiq isn't in our playing XI.

Look, Hafeez, Misbah and Jamshed are automatic selections. They will play for sure. The only way Shafiq could have played was in place of Malik, who I'm afraid might get the nod over him because of his bowling.

Shafiq and Umar Akmal should be playing instead of Younis and Afridi, hter than that it is a very balanced team. I would let Wahab play this one and prove his worth, Irfan has become a mainstay in this team and will definitely be part of the squad for the Champions league, plus the big man needs to be used sparingly.

Misbah has always wanted it to come to that, and hence he has wanted for Umar Akmal to be dropped from test squad, never gave him the no4-no5 position in one days even when he scored heavily (Sl and BD series come to mind or WC2011) and he always shuffled Asad Shafiq in and out of team according to his wish and Younis disponibility. Also, dropping Fawad, Shehzad and Hammad Azam despite their performance and dropping Umar Amin/Haris Sohail/Usman Salahudin without a game.

I think that it's either down to the defensive mentality to do everything for the win (false because youngsters have better averages than senior), with the fact that he doesn't want to be dropped if the team is full with performing youngsters or the fact that he feels people won't blame him in loss when ex-captains are around him and advising him on what to do.

People will say it's far-fetched but how else can one explain that being an ex-captain/VC captain, you will get many privileges and chances (see below), which results in Shoaib Malik, Younis, Hafeez, Afridi and Misbah playing in the same XI (+Kami).

Here is what Misbah did for the past 3 years

-Seniors have The best position to perform (when we're scoring at a good rate, number 3, bowling when pressure is on)
-Seniors Several matches despite bad form and one good match is enough for them to play
-Worst positions for youngsters and dropped after one bad match

It was all going on before Whatmore and before IQ, the later having made clear team management wants these seniors and doesn't play the youngsters they send.

Only exceptions are Nasir Jamshed (dropped in tests after 3 bad innings while Hafeez/Azhar/Misbah got clear with same amount) and bowlers.

I would have also liked to see Irfan but thinking about it again, he was a liability in his second spell in the India ODIs. Riaz, although a risk (because he's erratic), is at least better fielder and batsman too.

Misbah has always wanted it to come to that, and hence he has wanted for Umar Akmal to be dropped from test squad, never gave him the no4-no5 position in one days even when he scored heavily (Sl and BD series come to mind or WC2011) and he always shuffled Asad Shafiq in and out of team according to his wish and Younis disponibility. Also, dropping Fawad, Shehzad and Hammad Azam despite their performance and dropping Umar Amin/Haris Sohail/Usman Salahudin without a game.

I think that it's either down to the defensive mentality to do everything for the win (false because youngsters have better averages than senior), with the fact that he doesn't want to be dropped if the team is full with performing youngsters or the fact that he feels people won't blame him in loss when ex-captains are around him and advising him on what to do.

People will say it's far-fetched but how else can one explain that being an ex-captain/VC captain, you will get many privileges and chances (see below), which results in Shoaib Malik, Younis, Hafeez, Afridi and Misbah playing in the same XI (+Kami).

Here is what Misbah did for the past 3 years

-Seniors have The best position to perform (when we're scoring at a good rate, number 3, bowling when pressure is on)
-Seniors Several matches despite bad form and one good match is enough for them to play
-Worst positions for youngsters and dropped after one bad match

It was all going on before Whatmore and before IQ, the later having made clear team management wants these seniors and doesn't play the youngsters they send.

Only exceptions are Nasir Jamshed (dropped in tests after 3 bad innings while Hafeez/Azhar/Misbah got clear with same amount) and bowlers.

Whatmore apparently really liked Jamshed , otherwise i doubt he would have made it the 11 in the first place. You can also add in junaid khan, for so long we picked sohail tanvir and mohammad Sami over him. When hey dished out the usual crap misbah just comes out and says "we must back the seniors they have experience"

"Last time Uganda toured Canada, half their team ran away to start a new life" - cricfan967

Poor decision if this is true. Pakistan team is becoming a club and management/captain keeping the deserving players out. There should be no Malik as he won't survive against bouncy & pacy bowling. He is only good for subcontinent. They have to play Asad Shafiq and Irfan.

No, media reports say that Hafeez has joined hands with Whatmore and wants Misbah out of the team. He also pressurizes Misbah whenever he wins a T20I match and Misbah loses an ODI. He, in press conferences backs Whatmore and wants to save his job. He also stresses that he allows players to express themselves and play their natural game, which is the key to success. He hints at Misbah and hits out on him, saying some captains don't allow players to play freely and force them. I'm sure Hafeez will play as he has the backing of Whatmore and there is no point dropping Afridi after his performance in the practice game, but you never know.

Whether anyone likes it or not we NEED Misbah Ul Haq in our team because when a few wickets fall early which they usually do with us he comes and steadys the ship, he starts off slow agreed but he makes up for it at the end of his innings his ODI record says it all

He's one of the best batsmen we have ever produced and is very suited to ODI cricket because of his canny ability to rotate the strike Younis Khan is a partnership builder and can be relied on 9 times out of 10.

I predict Younis and Misbah to have a very successful series experience is key on these pitches and they will come up trumps.

No, media reports say that Hafeez has joined hands with Whatmore and wants Misbah out of the team. He also pressurizes Misbah whenever he wins a T20I match and Misbah loses an ODI. He, in press conferences backs Whatmore and wants to save his job. He also stresses that he allows players to express themselves and play their natural game, which is the key to success. He hints at Misbah and hits out on him, saying some captains don't allow players to play freely and force them. I'm sure Hafeez will play as he has the backing of Whatmore and there is no point dropping Afridi after his performance in the practice game, but you never know.

He's one of the best batsmen we have ever produced and is very suited to ODI cricket because of his canny ability to rotate the strike Younis Khan is a partnership builder and can be relied on 9 times out of 10.

I predict Younis and Misbah to have a very successful series experience is key on these pitches and they will come up trumps.

oh please he's been averaging 27 under 70 sr. in his last 51 ODIs..13 in his last 16 ODIs..and no he isn't an all rounder..

abdur-rehmam should be selected...in place of Afridi.
Umer akmal in for yk
Asad for Misbah...

I really dont think we need 7 bowlers in the team.
U Akmal for YK and Asad for Afridi. Misabah is the captain so he would play but if he is not I would play Hafeez in his spot and bring in Farhat would prefer Ahmed Shezad but he is in Pakistan at the moment

Whether anyone likes it or not we NEED Misbah Ul Haq in our team because when a few wickets fall early which they usually do with us he comes and steadys the ship, he starts off slow agreed but he makes up for it at the end of his innings his ODI record says it all

He's one of the best batsmen we have ever produced and is very suited to ODI cricket because of his canny ability to rotate the strike Younis Khan is a partnership builder and can be relied on 9 times out of 10.

I predict Younis and Misbah to have a very successful series experience is key on these pitches and they will come up trumps.

Are you using the magic dragon or something
If yk is so great why does he

: avg 32 despite playing the bulk of his 250 odd games in the top order
Why does he only have 6 hundreds , 3 agaisnt India one against Hong Kong
Why does he have an avg of 15 is his last 10 games
Why is his strike rate in 60s for this period
Why hasn't he made a 100 in 5 years

Just because he is a great in test doesn't mean he is great in Odis. He is the worst odi batsman to play more than 200 games

Experience means nothing if players are crap

He has done nothing for years , I wonder if you even watch the games

Last edited by pakistanigoneaussie; 8th March 2013 at 04:04.

"Last time Uganda toured Canada, half their team ran away to start a new life" - cricfan967

Farhat, Shafiq and U Akaml- All three of them should be in the team. The likes of Younis, Misbah and Malik are rubbish in ODI cricket and will be responsible for numerous middle order collapses if they continue to play, it is time for Misbah and Younis to retire from the ODI game.

Are you using the magic dragon or something
If yk is so great why does he

: avg 32 despite playing the bulk of his 250 odd games in the top order
Why does he only have 6 hundreds , 3 agaisnt India one against Hong Kong
Why does he have an avg of 15 is his last 10 games
Why is his strike rate in 60s for this period
Why hasn't he made a 100 in 5 years

Just because he is a great in test doesn't mean he is great in Odis. He is the worst odi batsman to play more than 200 games

Experience means nothing if players are crap

He has done nothing for years , I wonder if you even watch the games

Yeah YKs been pretty poor most of his ODI career. Had a few periods where he's was good though, often when he was in such good test form it transferred.

Think YK has been mismanaged in his entire ODI career. He isn't a no.3 player naturally. Not even in tests, but he makes do. Struggles too much against early pace and starts off very scratchily. In tests he can play it out, in ODIs there's no time.

Should have been coming in at 6 where spinners operate and ball is older. I remember many innings where Yk's done well, coming in later and scoring runs and picking up the singles. He's good at that. Don't think it's pure chance he actually as a very good record at six at a good SR as well.

But it's too late. Funny thing was Malik was being played at six when he should have been at three, and YK at three when he should have been at six. Now both don't deserve places in the side anyway.

Media Reports: Pakistan XI for the first ODI

Originally Posted by BeingFaridKhan

Unfortunately, the selectors will never opt for this line-up, at least for this tour.

Selectors pick Afridi first then add 10 more players Around him. Wish selectors would come into senses and dump the first pick forever for pakistan's cricket sake. It is really sad good players r being wasted because a wasted talent has to be in fhe team. Just like pakistan's politics.

Yeah YKs been pretty poor most of his ODI career. Had a few periods where he's was good though, often when he was in such good test form it transferred.

Think YK has been mismanaged in his entire ODI career. He isn't a no.3 player naturally. Not even in tests, but he makes do. Struggles too much against early pace and starts off very scratchily. In tests he can play it out, in ODIs there's no time.

Should have been coming in at 6 where spinners operate and ball is older. I remember many innings where Yk's done well, coming in later and scoring runs and picking up the singles. He's good at that. Don't think it's pure chance he actually as a very good record at six at a good SR as well.

But it's too late. Funny thing was Malik was being played at six when he should have been at three, and YK at three when he should have been at six. Now both don't deserve places in the side anyway.

People talk about YK being good at 6. His stats may suggest he's best at that position.

However, he was not a good enough striker of the ball batting that low.

He would get singles and twos when boundaries were needed. He was not a Razzaq or Afridi that could smash the ball - and often he was required to do that. He wasn't even like an Inzi or Moyo who would play normally but could also massively up the run rate when required.

I remember getting very frustrated with him not scoring quick enough for the match situation coming in at 6. He couldn't help it though.

YK was good as you say for a period of a year or two - and that was batting higher up. Otherwise he's been average at best as an ODI player for the remainder of his career. Awesome test player of course.

I'm surprised that he hasn't actually retired from ODIs, as YK is normally a good team guy and should recognize when he's not contributing. But then again, he's never been good in ODIs, so why retire now? Plus, all of the players want the money from ODIs of course.

India just dropped Sehwag. I don't know why our dumb selectors can't make bold decisions and drop out of form and/or underperforming players. 10-15 games is a long enough failure for someone like YK. And Misbah I pray will be dropped after this tour as well.

Whether anyone likes it or not we NEED Misbah Ul Haq in our team because when a few wickets fall early which they usually do with us he comes and steadys the ship, he starts off slow agreed but he makes up for it at the end of his innings his ODI record says it all

He's one of the best batsmen we have ever produced and is very suited to ODI cricket because of his canny ability to rotate the strike Younis Khan is a partnership builder and can be relied on 9 times out of 10.

I predict Younis and Misbah to have a very successful series experience is key on these pitches and they will come up trumps.

Originally Posted by alberto

No wonder Whatmore has a cordial relationship with Hafeez!

We can't keep Misbah hoping for the wickets to fall early and him coming in to save us. If runs are flowing, say we have 200 on the board in 30 overs or so, Misbah's utility becomes nill.

Yes, Hafeez and Whatmore are having very friendly relations these days.

An average Afridi playing 11 years on the back of his one off century.

Then finally having two good years 2009-2011.

And then a miserable last year. Still getting a call up in the team, despite nothing extraordinary versus Afghanistan.

You are right. Lots of things happen in Pakistan.

Afridi is not the only one. I feel he is the best wrist spinner in Pakistan, who can bat as well. Afridi justified his selection, first in the T20I then in the warm-up game. He was far better than Jamshed, Malik, Kamran, Umar etc. in the T20I. Didn't get to chance his arms. Batting with all guns blazing in the warm-up game and again batted far better than Misbah, Younis, Malik, Misbah etc. Wait for these 5 ODIs and see what he does.

Afridi is not the only one. I feel he is the best wrist spinner in Pakistan, who can bat as well. Afridi justified his selection, first in the T20I then in the warm-up game. He was far better than Jamshed, Malik, Kamran, Umar etc. in the T20I. Didn't get to chance his arms. Batting with all guns blazing in the warm-up game and again batted far better than Misbah, Younis, Malik, Misbah etc. Wait for these 5 ODIs and see what he does.

If a player keeps getting recalled, at some point he will do something to justify his selection. Bottom line is there was no justification in recalling him after the India ODIs. I'm a big fan of his but this inconsistent and random selection policy is a joke.

If a player keeps getting recalled, at some point he will do something to justify his selection. Bottom line is there was no justification in recalling him after the India ODIs. I'm a big fan of his but this inconsistent and random selection policy is a joke.

Yes, you know that, Shayan. There is an immense fan following of Afridi and the fact is that the PCB gets pressurized when his name is in contention. Let's hope he performs against South Africa and justifies his selection. He is off to bright start, though. His performance in the only T20I and in the warm-up match was more than what people expected from him.

Yes, you know that, Shayan. There is an immense fan following of Afridi and the fact is that the PCB gets pressurized when his name is in contention. Let's hope he performs against South Africa and justifies his selection. He is off to bright start, though. His performance in the only T20I and in the warm-up match was more than what people expected from him.

Agreed, as for the team, really want to see Umar Akmal and Shafiq playing more. They should be the future of the middle order, but we'll never find out if they're not selected!

Agreed, as for the team, really want to see Umar Akmal and Shafiq playing more. They should be the future of the middle order, but we'll never find out if they're not selected!

Yes, for that purpose, we need to get rid of Younis and Misbah and look forawrd to the 2015 World Cup. Both of them won't be able to continue or rather shouldn't continue till that long. Hafeez and Afridi could still have a chance, I reckon as we don't have much reliable and experienced replacements, but it's worth a gamble to go with fresh blood, though.

We all support Pak but if we lose let's hope it's 5 nil so we get rid of misbah afridi Yk and maybe Gul and build for the future

What if all of them perform and we still lose? And what if Afridi performs and we lose? I fancy the age doesn't matter. You can play as far as you're fit and performing up to the requirements. These 5 ODIs will be career-defining or our senior players.

Media Reports: Pakistan XI for the first ODI

Originally Posted by BeingFaridKhan

What if all of them perform and we still lose? And what if Afridi performs and we lose? I fancy the age doesn't matter. You can play as far as you're fit and performing up to the requirements. These 5 ODIs will be career-defining or our senior players.

Then I would call that a miracle as for afridi he needs to play v minnows and will be exposed again for the 350th time

This team deserves to lose 5-0 , the incompetent team management and selectors are screwing pakistan cricket big time. The fresh blood and excitement is what pakistan cricket and in particular oneday team needs. , , , are killing pakistan ODI team at the moment nad to some extent is also responsible. Potential good players like and :umarakmal are being ignored for the likes of TTF like malik yk hafeez (as an opener). The inform Shahzad was sent back , this team is bound to doom.